Daily News Digest – May 8, 2018

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1. School safety report released; ESSA plan approved.

Two pretty big developments for Alabama education: Gov. Ivey’s school safety report was released and the state’s ESSA implementation plan has been approved by the U.S. Dept. of Education.

School Safety

In the wake of the Parkland, Florida shooting, Ivey convened a council to review school safety protocols and recommend needed changes.

Part of this was due to the various proposals cropping up in the Legislature: everything from arming teachers to stricter gun controls.

Among the council’s recommendations: more money for school security personnel & equipment; better coordination between schools, law enforcement, & state agencies to identify and deal with potential threats; hiring more mental health professionals; and better emergency training for school employees.

The Legislature set aside $41 million for school security personnel/upgrades this past session. Read Trisha Powell Crain’s report on AL.com HERE.

ESSA

Remember No Child Left Behind, that law most everybody hated? Congress replaced it with a new law that is a lot more popular: The Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA.

ESSA is a lot less draconian in its mandates on states, but it still requires states to demonstrate they are working to improve student learning and achievement.

Gov. Ivey announced that Alabama’s plan to do that was approved by Education Secretary Betsy Devos yesterday.

2. All eyes on West Virginia, ‘Cocaine Mitch.’

It’s Primary Election Day in Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina and West Virginia today.

All eyes on on the Mountaineer State because of an interesting situation that is developing: a quirky (maybe crazy) candidate with a checkered past might win the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate and in doing so threaten Republicans’ chances of picking up a seat.

Wait, where have I heard that one before???

President Trump is straight up making the connection to Alabama and Roy Moore warning West Virginia Republicans not to nominate the nincompoop.

It’s what the GOP does best, though. Nominate fringe candidates who make Democrats look reasonable in right-of-center states. Senate seats in Missouri, Indiana, Nevada, Delaware, and, yes, Alabama would likely all be held by Republicans right now had they nominated a normal person.

One loyal reader pointed out that there are some criticisms of the other candidates out there as well that deserve to be seen. That’s right, and I appreciate the feedback.

AL.com’s Kyle Whitmire really laid into former Attorney General Troy King for his role in creating the Sheriff jailhouse slush fund situation. That could be a problem for King down the road if the issue festers. Read that story HERE.

Kyle also took current Attorney General Steve Marshall to task for not publicly releasing a case file related to the Sheriffs food fund case. Whitmire says it should be public but the AG’s office is saying they don’t release these types of case files. Read that story HERE.

4. Birmingham’s Highlands Bar & Grill finally wins Beard Award.

Birmingham’s Highlands Bar & Grill has been named the nation’s top restaurant.

This is a real competition among amazing restaurants from New York to Los Angeles, not some people’s choice contest between Chili’s and Olive Garden.

The prestigious James Beard Award comes after Highlands was named a finalist NINE straight years in a row.

Also, Highlands’ Dolester Miles has been named the nation’s top pastry chef.

Quite an honor for the restaurant and a cool distinction for Birmingham. Congrats!

Read more in the AP dispatch from Chicago HERE and Bob Carlton’s report on AL.com HERE.

5. News Briefs

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has resigned after four women accused him of assault. It’s the latest #MeToo story from Ronan Farrow, the same writer who exposed Harvey Weinstein writing for The New Yorker. The story behind the accusations is pretty crazy and worth a read (for adults) when you have some time. Find it HERE.

President Trump is poised to withdraw the United States from the Iranian nuclear accord today. The announcement is scheduled for 2:00 Eastern. The New York Times’ David Sanger is probably the best-sourced reporter on this subject. He points out that the two people advocating for staying in and revising the Iran deal (Rex Tillerson & H.R. McMaster) have been replaced by fervent opponents of the deal (Mike Pompeo & John Bolton). Read the full story HERE.

Oliver North has been named president of the National Rifle Association. That story HERE.

All six Etowah County judges have recused themselves from presiding over Roy Moore’s lawsuit against is accusers. That means an out of town judge will likely be appointed. Remember the whole point fo Moore filing in Etowah County was to get the matter back before a hometown crowd. Read Paul Gattis’ story HERE.